Ball-bearing



Umani STAT-,ES

OFFICE.

srscrrxoamion v v A I v l forming part of Letters Patent No. 506,409, dated October 10, 1893.

.uipumlanemntm 20,1893; sermuaisassl. maman.) l

.To` all 'whom it may concern,.-

- Be it known that I, HAROLD R. .WELLMAN,.

a citizen of the United States, residing at Duluth, in the count-y of St. Louis and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and.

usefullmprovements in Ball-Bearings; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such f as will enable others skilled in' the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and tothe figures of reference marked which a spiral or screw is' used, and has forthereon, which form a part of this specifica-v tion.

My invention relates to ball bearings in its object to provide a means by which such spiral or screw may be used to operate anlzo other part as a gear wheel or rack and con' slsts 1n the construction and arrangements of pars as will be hereinafter more fully set forth. ,y

Referring to theaccompanying drawings in which the same reference numerals indicate corresponding parts' in the different views: Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional viewof a'worm gearprovided with my improved bearing, and Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view of Athe same, and Figs. 3 and 4 are sectional views showing how the balls can be e-l turned through the casing. g v Heretofore,in using ball bearings 1n connection with a thread or spiral, it has been the practice to returnlthe balls externally of the Worm or shaft, as through the nut. Bnt such a construction is not practicable or dcsirable in all places, and therefore I have inc vented a bearing inwhich the balls may be returned through the shaft or worm, itself.

In the accompanying drawings, I have shown one form of carrying my invention into practice, in which 1, indicates the shaft, 2 the bearing or casing therefor and 3 the, balls. The shaft may be journaled in bearings or casing in any desiredmanner and is provided with a' channel or by pass, 4, through which the balls are returned to any desired point of .the worm, or threads, 5, after having engaged with the teeth 6, of the wheel, 7, which is being driven or operated. The channel 4 has its ends or openings on different sides of the shaft, and is kpreferably made'diagonally through the shaft, butit may be curved-to a greater or less extent, or even made substantially axial.. The casing is provided with a head or cap 8 which' is secured thereto in any be a head at each end, and one side of the casing is provided with a slot or channel 10 through which the edge of the wheel 'Z projects far enough to beengaged by the balls. The bore of the casing is substantially' smooth and cylindrical andlso much larger than the shaft that the balls, as they move around with the shaft, bear against the interior of the casingand are prevented from getting out of their proper position. shaft. are longitudinally stationary relatively to each other the balls must move longitudinally of the casing the distance of the pitch of the screw for every revolution they make of theishaft, and as they do not necessarily travel this distance at every revolution of the shaft, itis evident they do not always travel around the casing in the same path. Hen'ce it is absolutely necessary that the interior or bore of the casing be substantially cylindrical or of the same diameter, except the slot, at which point the edge of the wheel vor other movable partenters' and completes Vthe cylindrical form of the bore and holds the balls in position. By joining the ends of the spiral groove between the threads by the by pass, a continuous channel'or path is made for the balls so that they can be made to pass from one end of the spiral groove tothe other which ever way the shaft is rotated, thus permitting of the shaftbeing run in either direction according to which way it is desiredl to rotate the wheel. When the balls reach the end of the spiral groove, it is necessary to provide some means to force theminto the by-pass and prevent them from being caughtbetween the shaft and the interior of the casing at the end of thegroove. I prefer to do this by means of hoods 11, which fit over the @union of the by-pass and the spiral groove one at each end, each hood being provided with a semi-circular groove or channel 12, yupon its under side through which the balls pass from the groove to the by-pass. The to arpound within the bore of the casing, and

ordinary manner as by bolts 9 or there may As the casing and of this hood is of such a height as to pass' also through the teeth of the wheel without touching. ,The'hoodsinay each beisecured tothe -s aft by providing' its lower portion O with a dove tail which tits in acorresaending `turned through the casing, but ,it would reuSG quire a slight-change in the groove on the. surfaceof the shaft, forthispurpose, as a spiral groove could be terminated in an annular--groomr channel 14 around'the sha-ft as hown in Fig. 3,into which the balls would A pass and from which they would be fed 'or forced into a channel or by-pass l5 in tige casing, the opposite eud,of which chann l would terminate opposite another ,annular channel 16, around the shaft, from which the spiral would lead off. Or the spiral groove might terminate in an axial line with the end of the-shaft, and the end of' the shaft could be tapered and have the spiral groove extended down to the point so as to engage with .the balls as they pass out of the chaunel 15 of the casing and force them into the main spiral on the shaft 17. To utilize -the bearing as a. step or support for a V.vertical shaft, or for taking up the end thrust of a horizontal shaft, the casingrmay be provided with an inward projection which may be provided with a partial groove which together with a partial groove around the shaft will form the annular groove around the shaft.

As above described, my invention is capable of use in many places, as in electrical cars when the shaft of the armature is placed longitudinally of the carand in electrical elevators, Jvc., in-which the shaft and casing are longitudinally stationary relatively to each other or for au expansible gear, as for hoisting, iu'which the shaft and the casing are longitudinally 'movable relatively to each other, in all of which places the friction will he reduced toa minimum and thepitch of the screw can be such that the shaft may be ro- .tated to a certain extent by the gear.'

[I do not wish-.to .be understood as limiting myself .to the exact construction shown anddescribed, as it is evident that changes may -be made in the same without departingfrom the spirit of -my invention.

1"I {aving thus described my/invehtion, I c 1m- L'In combination, a casing provided with, 4-

somos walls of the groove and with. the interior of ,substantially as set forth. r

2. In combination, a .casing provided-with a slot in one side and Vhavinga smooth lcylinaless diameterthan the bore ofthe'casing casing being longitudinally stationary relavided with a spiral groove and withl a by-pa'es ,connecting twopointsbf the groove, -a hood fleeting the balls thereinto, a movable toothed part projecting through the 'slot in'the casing, and a series of balls within the groove toothed part, substantially as se't forth;'

spiral groove and aninternal'by-pass extending through the .shaft =.`and connecting two pointsef the 'groove upon bp oslte sides of the shaft,of a casing for the s aft,'a movable part provided with teeth extending through a slot in the casing, and aseries oi'jballs within the groovs and by-pass of the shaft, and engaging with said toothed part.-

4. 'l he combination. with a shaft having a spiral groove and an internal by-pass, of hoods secured to the shaft, over the .unions of i-vely, the under sideof said hoods leach being provided with a semi-.circular groove, a casing over the shaft, a movableftoothed part .projecting through a slot in the casing, and a series of balls within the groove and by-pass and engaging with the teeth of the movable art. I p In-testimonywhereofI aiilx my signature-in presence of two witnesses.

HAROLD R. YNWELLMAN.

Witnesses:l I

Jamas H. MARsH,

ALFRED C. Manen.

dricai bore .of amniform' diameter, a shaft of,

. and axiallyjournaled therein, said shaftand over the entrance into the by-pass -for de` 3. The combination, with a shaftI having a' the groove and bypass at each end, respect,

toeach other, and the shaft being pro with a spiral groove and a by-Pll'l 00u-' l two-points' of said groove, a movable, part within the slot of the casing,'and a series' of balls within the groove 'and the, by-pass of the shaft, the diameter of theballs being'suoh that they will engage with the the casing and the teeth of the movablenpart,

tively to each other,aud theshaft being prc- I and the by-pass, 4and engaging with the 

